The Boston Bruins have successfully survived the first long road trip of the 2019-20 regular season. How did it go? Almost perfectly. However, there have been plenty of impressions from the first four real tests for the Bruins on the road, which saw them finish 3-1-0.
The Good
Goaltending has been, once again, splendid for Boston. Tuukka Rask made 27 saves on 28 shots against the Dallas Stars in a 2-1 win, then went 31/34 shots in a 4-3 win in Vegas. Jaroslav Halak had a 35-save shutout in Arizona, and later yielded three goals on 35 shots on goal in Denver, which is far from bad.
The top line got its jets moving. David Pastrnak finished the road trip with five points in the final two games. Brad Marchand had five points as well. Patrice Bergeron had three assists to complete the top Bruins’ line.
Overall, it seemed like the Bruins are playing confidently every minute on the ice. Even though they gave up a two-goal lead in Colorado and got two goals taken off, they still pushed, and the game was up for grabs for anybody. The Bruins are playing confidently, and that’s a good sign, of course.
The Bad
Well, where was the offense from anybody else not named Bergeron, Pastrnak, or Marchand? It seems like it’s the same problem over and over again. Apart from the top trio and Torey Krug, the rest of the team really hasn’t been doing much. That’s not ideal.
The Bruins’ special teams were a bit wobbly on this road trip. After going five-for-five on the penalty kill in Arizona and Dallas, the Bruins went just two-for-five on the penalty kill in Vegas and Colorado. On the power play, only two goals were scored on the man advantage. Well, maybe three, but that one did not count.
The defense went from good to bad. After only one goal given up in the first two games, a total of seven goals against followed in the latter two contests. Overall, eight goals against in four roadies is not the worst.
The Ugly
The second line and the line shuffles were frustrating. A line with Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen playing with David Krejci isn’t ideal. During some shifts, the right-wingers were shifting across the whole lineup. There was no definite setup. It seemed like only Bergeron with Marchand, and Coyle with Heinen stuck together.
The second line produced exactly zero points. No points for Jake Debrusk, Karson Kuhlman, or whoever was playing on that line at that given moment. Krejci recorded one assist while he somehow stayed on the ice with Marchand and Pastrnak against the Avalanche. Some are saying Kuhlman might not belong there long-term.
No, that’s not accurate. He was playing reliable hockey and almost got a goal (before video review), and his speed was noticeable. His CF% at 52.69 and his xGF% at 39.74 at even strength were not exceptional, but it was better than Krejci’s and DeBrusk’s digits. After all, no one is blaming them loudly, because Krejci returned on Saturday after injury. But the Bruins need more from him, and they will probably get more from the Czech center. It, perhaps, only requires time.
The ugliest category is reserved for the video review!
